The invention relates to excavation, and, more particularly, to excavation assemblies, apparatus and methods.
Generally, excavation requires the cutting and removal of soil or other solid excavated material from an excavated surface. One type of excavation apparatus is a hard-tooth apparatus, such as a backhoe, a trenching machine, a jack hammer or a manual pick or shovel. These apparatus include a cutting tool with a cutting edge that is forced into the ground to cut the soil from the surface. The cutting tool may also be used to remove the soil from the surface. Some of these hard-tooth apparatus, for example, some jack hammers, and other equipment required at the excavation site are pneumatically operated and require a compressor as a power unit.
Another type of excavation apparatus is a non-intrusive excavation apparatus or soft excavator. A non-intrusive excavation apparatus uses jets of fluid, such as air, to loosen the soil. A vacuum may be used to remove the soil from the excavated surface. The non-intrusive excavation apparatus does not include a hard cutting edge that is forced into the ground to cut the soil.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,229 discloses a soft excavator including an excavation head mounted on one end of telescoping hollow boom. The excavation head has a nozzle for directing jets of high speed air at an excavation face to loosen soil. A vacuum transport pipe extends from the excavation head through the hollow of the boom. The apparatus includes primary and secondary separators for disentraining loosened soil from air flowing through the separators. The apparatus also includes a conveyor located under the primary and secondary separators to receive soil from the separators and to remove the soil from the apparatus. The apparatus is supported on a chassis above the ground by wheels to provide mobility for the apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,891 discloses another type of soft excavator, namely, a hand-held wand. The wand includes a nozzle to cut soil and a passage to remove the excavated soil.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,165 discloses an excavation system with pneumatic conveyance and separation of a excavated material. The excavation system fragments excavated material. The material is entrained and pneumatically conveyed to a remote site for separation of the material from the gas. One or more separators communicates serially with the flow path and separates and collects the excavated material. At least one separator includes a high-efficiency cyclone chamber. In one embodiment, the separator is mounted on a truck, and the truck can be separated from the excavation system and driven to an excavant disposal/storage site where the truck can be emptied.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,717 discloses a vacuum excavator. The excavation apparatus includes a suction system and a liquid jet system mounted on a vehicle. The suction tank is emptied by opening the rear hatch and raising the front end of the tank.